123 Thanksgiving Dessert Recipes for Pies, Cakes, Cookies, and More

From easy tarts and galettes to showstopping multi-layered cakes, these seasonal fall desserts rely on apples, pumpkin, sweet potatoes, pecans, and spices to bring plenty of familiar flavor in both classic Turkey Day desserts and updated treats.

This North Carolinian cobbler-like dessert, with both a bottom crust and lattice top, is topped with a sweetened milk “dip” after baking for a time and then returned to the oven so that the dip forms a rich glaze.

For many, Thanksgiving without pumpkin pie is unthinkable, but that doesn't mean you can't jazz up the old standby. A judicious hand with the spices lends this custardy version a certain lightness of being. There is a bit of tang, too, from sour cream, and an underlying warmth from the jigger of bourbon (to amplify the depth of flavor, add some to the whipped cream accompaniment, too).

Makoviy rulet is a poppy seed and nut roll that's a traditional baked delicacy popular all over Ukraine. Making the dough can be quite time-consuming, but here the process is quicker and easier thanks to store-bought phyllo pastry instead of the usual yeast dough. A slice of this strudel with some black tea with lemon or coffee is heavenly.

This deliciously wobbly, very special pudding isn’t thickened with cornstarch or gelatin. Instead, it’s made with chocolate, milk, cream, and eggs and spiked with olive oil and salt, which complement the bittersweet and fruity flavors of the chocolate. To die for!

The delicate, earthy sweetness of Fuyu persimmons is a perfect match for apples in this classic French dessert. A quick caramel sauce and easy puff pastry crust give you big payoff for very little fuss.

Eau-de-vie, or fruit brandy, an Alsatian specialty, is used to great effect in this dish, bringing out the subtle nuances in the pears. A custardy, brandied layer over the tender fruit, along with a nutty topping, gives this tart a complex yet homey air.

Classic carrot-coconut cake is a Southern holiday tradition. Ours has a healthy dose of ginger and cinnamon for a nice spice and cream cheese frosting sprinkled with pretty coconut flakes for a beautiful finishing touch.

If you’d like an even more pronounced molasses flavor, use a robust instead of mild molasses. Just don’t use blackstrap in these cookies; not only will it be too strong and bitter, but it will overwhelm the spices.

Satiny and pleasingly sticky, caramel is one of the most delicious additions to cakes and pastries. The longer the caramel cooks, the darker and less sweet it becomes. You can judge the color by eye or with an accurate instant-read thermometer. Cream of tartar and corn syrup both help prevent crystallization in the finished caramel sauce.

Ravishing, like a fairy in a vast taffeta ball gown. The pastry will shatter, which is rather lovely, offering wisps of crispness with the soft, creamy cheesecake. This is lighter and less rich than most.

Light and buttery, brioche makes a lovely base for fruit in baked pastries—so why not a tart? You can use any fruit or nut here, but this version, with thin slices of apples and plenty of cinnamon, is a fall favorite. If you like, you can fold the edges of the crust over the fruit, like a galette.

Covered Apple Cake (Gedeckter Apfelkuchen) is a German apple cake that almost tastes like it's the precursor to America’s apple pie, though in this cake, even after baking, the pastry remains soft and cakey thanks to the moist, cooked apple filling and a lemon glaze that is brushed on the top crust after baking. Here, it's adapted it for the holiday, swapping out the classic raisins for fresh cranberries, and using lebkuchen spices to add a festive flavor.

The gooey toffee sauce is both absorbed by the cake and served on the side. For a glossy, polished presentation, brush the still-warm cake with a clean pastry brush after it comes out of the pan, which will remove some of the excess syrup.

This cookie gets a double hit of raw sugars: sticky dark muscovado in the dough and a roll through turbinado sugar that adds crunch and a naturally glittering finish around a puddle of bittersweet chocolate ganache.

The "cakes" in this traditional Tennessee-mountain dessert are firm, like cookies. After being slathered with apple butter and layered with boozy poached apples, the cake rests overnight—allowing the layers to soften until tender and sliceable.

Rich, sweet, moist and yet completely free from flour and refined sugar, this Italian lemon and almond cake is a great way to end a holiday meal. Prepare the cake a day in advance—it makes it even creamier and enhances the flavors.

Anyone who has taken a bite of this Milk Bar bestseller immediately knows the reason for the sassy name. Once you start eating this rich, salty-sweet pie with its oat cookie crust, you won't be able to stop.

Tangy, luscious crème fraîche can easily be made by combining 1 cup of cream with 1 tablespoon buttermilk. Stir to mix completely, then leave at room temperature, covered with a clean towel, overnight. Stir to thicken slightly, and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Brown butter brings out nuttiness of the pecans, while the bite of rum and the slight bitterness of espresso balance out the sweetness of this pie. We use cane syrup here, which has a richer flavor than corn syrup—you can find it in many specialty food shops or online. If you'd like some sparkle on the edge of your crust, brush it with a beaten egg and sprinkle with coarse sugar before baking.

This sweet, rich Southern stunner, adapted from Patti LaBelle’s cookbook, LaBelle Cuisine, is the dessert we turn to when the craving for sweet potato hits. We especially love the technique of sprinkling the crust with brown sugar before adding the filling, which creates a layer of delectable syrup.

An assortment of apple varieties adds complexity to this nicely spiced apple pie. The Pink Lady apples are just slightly tart with hints of raspberry and kiwi. Pippins are firm with crisp and tart flavors. And Golden Delicious apples (a classic choice for pies) have a juicy texture and honeyed sweetness.

Fall baking should be sweet, but more and more recipes are calling for savory spices like pepper and Chinese 5-spice powder. They give a cranberry cake like this one all new dimension and a subtle heat. It may take you two slices to pin it down.

Eastern Kentucky–born and –raised chef Colin Perry plies his art now in Montreal at Dinette Triple Crown. The food there taps into traditions of both the far north and the high country South, as in this delectably oh-so-sticky pudding.

Adding salt to this classic sauce lets you taste the rich complexity of the caramel, not just the sweetness. To save time, feel free to replace the almonds and butter with 1/2 cup store-bought roasted almond butter (with no added sugar). Just stir in the salt and almond extract and it's recipe-ready.